Multi-Use Properties FROG

Think Before You Flush or Pour!

Live in an apartment? Then this affects YOU.

One of the best things about apartment life is not worrying about maintenance…Until sewage backs up into your home. Yikes.

Here’s the deal:

In apartment buildings and large complexes, all the pipes are connected. So, what YOU flush or pour down the drain goes into the same system as your neighbors. When grease, wipes, or trash clog the pipes, it can send sewage into your home or theirs.

Household FROG Facts

✅ DO’s – Help Keep Pipes Clear

  • Let oil cool, then pour it into a heat-safe, sealable container and throw it in the trash.
    • TIP: Keep adding oil until the container is full and the oil is solid.
    • TIP: Mix oil with coffee grounds or cat litter to help it solidify.
  • Scrape food scraps and leftover grease into the trash before washing dishes.
  • Use a mesh sink strainer to catch food—empty scraps into the trash.
  • Rinse dishes with cold water before the dishwasher. Hot water melts grease into the pipes, where it later hardens.
  • Limit use of garbage disposals. Food scraps should go in the trash, not the drain.
  • Clean spills with paper towels and throw them away.
  • Trash only: diapers, wipes (even “flushable”), pads, paper towels, rags, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and anything that doesn’t dissolve naturally.

🚫 DON’Ts – Avoid These Common Mistakes

  • Don’t pour oil, grease, dressings, or sauces down the sink, toilet, or outside drains.
  • Don’t use cloth rags or towels to wipe greasy dishes. Washing them sends grease into the sewer.
  • Don’t rinse greasy dishes with hot water—it melts grease that later clogs pipes.
  • Don’t flush wipes—even “flushable” ones. They don’t break down and can cause massive blockages.

Additional Resources

More information can be found from the following sources:

Let’s Tackle the Grease in This Kitchen! (texas.gov)

¡Ataquemos a la Grasa en Esta Cocina! (GI-290) (texas.gov)

Toilets are Not Trashcans. Only Flush the 3 P’s

Are Flushable Wipes Really Flushable? Provided by Chemical and Engineering News (c&en)

Do Flushable Wipes Actually Dissolve? Provided by The Fit RV

Wipes Clog Pipes Demonstration Provided by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Fit2Flush Provided by Beaufort Jasper Water, Okatie, SC